Ishq-E-Mahnoor— Love between Hate and Revenge!

Dehradun There she is!"The windows of black Mercedes SUV rolled down and he glanced at the girl from afar on the other side of the road. "She is the daughter of Ajay Garhwal.", His man filled him with the information essential, as he continued to stare at her. His hazel brown orbs from behind the shades did not waver from her frame even for a moment. "What is her name?", He asked without looking away from her. "Mahnoor. Maahnoor Garhwal.", the man answered once confirming from inside the file in his hand. Glancing at the file, he picked up the first picture he got his hands on, bringing it close to his face, he stared at it. A girl in a floral pink knee length frowk, with a bunch of lilies in her hands, while smiling brightly at the camera. Her hairs were tied up in a low bun. A delicate bracelet on her right wrist shined brightly under the sunlight. She was beautiful. Simple yet elegant. Turning his gaze back to the living frame of her a little far from him, he tried matching the real and the one in the photo. Mahnoor! His hand, immediately went to rest over his heart, and he felt it stir back to life after years of stillness. He glanced back at her to see her looking around herself with frowns seemingly searching for someone. And then, in a blink of an eye, she had already vanished into the shop. Sweet and Sour Cafe! Izhaar Agnihotri read the shop's name under his breath, his gaze lingering for a moment before he shifted his attention back to the man seated in the passenger seat—who, without hesitation, answered the question Izhaar had yet to ask. "She is fond of baking and thus owns this small cafe-c*m-bakery. It is not that much profitable but can make a do.", his man read out aloud from the file and all Izhaar did was to give a curt nod. Unlocking the door, he stepped out of the car, buttoned his suit and turned around to look at the man in the car as he said sternly, "I do not want anyone following me." Crossing the road to the other side, Izhaar took a moment to stare at the cafe. The shop was small— structured into frames of wooden with a huge board having the name of the cafe hanging at the top. Outside the cafe were kept few bunches of all types of different flowers, spreading its floral scent all over the place. "Welcome.", Izhaar was greeted with a soft voice as soon as he entered the cafe. Looking up, he found her to be the owner of that beautiful voice. "How may I help you, sir?", Mahnoor asked with a small awkward smile when she noticed him only staring at her. Though he was still wearing his goggles, she could feel him looking at her without a blink. "Sir, how may I help you?", Mahnoor asked once again, though politely but she had started feeling a little weird under his unwavering gaze towards her. Izhaar slid his shades off, and the instant his hazel-green gaze met her striking blue eyes, his pulse faltered. He felt his heart stop at once, before it raced at the speed of double. The eyes he had not noticed the other night. The sunlight shined in her irises turning it to glow luminous, intensifying their depth, while her smile—soft yet unreadable—left him uncomfortable. Something within him felt off, as if an unspoken truth weighed on him. He couldn't determine whether it was her innocence that unsettled him or the gravity of his own intentions. "What are the specialties of your shop?", he asked, staring straight into her blue ones'. He was here to drag her, force her and take her with himself. He was here to abduct her. To make her pay for what she and her family owns to him and his family. But instead, he ended up asking the most famous delicacies in her shop. "Triple layer cheese sandwich and chocolate tiramisu is today's specialty, sir. What would you like to have?", Mahnoor answered. The smile on her lips not wavering even for a moment. There was something special about this girl, that Izhaar could not get his eyes off her. "Chocolate tiramisu", Izhaar replied without a thought. "Would you like to have it here or want me to pack it up for you?", Mahnoor asked while working on getting the desert out of the glass display counter. "Parcel.", Izhaar replied, his eyes scanning the interior of the shop while Mahnoor pack the desert for him. Inside was small but warm and welcoming. The strong smell of cinnamon and other spices had filled the whole place, however the mild floral scent coming from her did not go unnoticed by Izhaar when she leaned a little over the counter to hand him the paper bag. Their hands brushed—just for a fleeting moment—sending an unfamiliar sensation rippling through them. Before it could linger longer, Mahnoor hastily pulled away. She accepted the card, her fingers fumbling as she processed the payment, all the while resisting the frown threatening to form due to his unwavering stare. She could not help but secretly glance at him through her peripheral view time and again. "Thank you. Visit again.", Mahnoor greeted in urgency while handing the card back to him, and hurried to the kitchen without sparing another glance at him. Taking a last glimpse of the door behind where she disappeared, Izhaar exited the shop. On his way back, he secretly picked up two lilies out of the bunch kept outside the shop. "I want her!", Izhaar said on the call as soon as he settled back in the rear sit of his car. His voice stoic and firm leaving no room for any disobeyance. His eyes wandered back to the shop to search for her, and he found her back to the counter, smiling warmly at one of the male customers she was handing the bag to. "Only this much? Your father invested in that stupid shop of yours more than what you are earning since months.", Her mother chided throwing the coins and notes on the floor in front of her feet, making her look down at them. Silent tears thretening to fall out of her eyes, Mahnoor crouched down to softly pick up the money that she had earned throughout the month. "I told him not to invest in your good-for-nothing shop but he is blind in love for his daughter.", Shilpa muttered while glaring at the poor girl who was still collecting all the scattered coins from the floor. "Now go and make something for us to eat. Your brother and father will be home soon.", Shilpa ordered while she sat on the sofa with cellphone in her hands. Glancing at her moth—- step-mother from under the lashes, Mahnoor nodded before walking to the kitchen. She was not bothered anymore. This was her everyday routine. The girl who tries to bring sweetness in everyone's life through her excellent baking, but her own life was filled with nothing but only bitterness. While preparing for the dinner, Mahnoor's eyes fall on the small nest at the corner of their kitchen window. Inside was a beautiful family of pigeons. Mumma pigeon had bought something that she was putting into baby pigeon's mouth. Oh, how much she miss her mother some times. "Is the dinner ready?", her step-mother's harsh voice break through her reverie and she immediately went to finish the last bits of the dinner preparation. "Yes.", she replied while setting everything on the small table in the living room. "Good evening, my child. How are you?", Her father hugged her with fatherly love as soon as he came back home. And she only smiled. Ajay Garhwal— her father who was already caused with the first heart attack just the previous year, she did not wanted to worry him more. She did not wanted him to know how her step-mother and step-brother torture her every minute when he is not home. She never let him see those scars she gets for every small mistake done by her. "Come, let us all have dinner together.", Ajay said while sitting down on the dining chair, followed by his wife Shilpa and son Akshat. "I had a sandwich back in the bakery just before I left for home. I am not hungry right now.", Mahnoor said softly glancing at her father. Her appetite was already gone. "Maha, my child, I am observing that you are skipping dinners most of the days in the week. Having outside food these frequently is not good for your health.", Her father stated worriedly while Mahnoor gave him only an understanding nod. How should she express that she feels uncomfortable eating under her step-mother's hard gaze. How she should confess that she is scared of sitting beside her step-brother who does not leave a chance to touch her inappropriately. "I will keep that in my mind from next time, papa.", Mahnoor said and earning an appreciative nod from her father, she hurriedly screwed away to her room, trying to escape the cruel world inside her own house. Lying down on bed with a novel in her hand, Mahnoor's eyes were still on the words written in there, however, her heart was somewhere else. Since days, she felt herself to be under a mysterical watch. All the time she could feel that someone is watching her every move. Someone is there around her, but the moment she looks around she would find no one familiar. She knew that her instincts were not a false alarm. She knew she was right about having someone's eyes—— Eyes! Those beautiful hazel green eyes, cold yet warm. Mahnoor was thrown back to the morning where she met that strange customer who was unknown yet felt familiar to her heart. His eyes— she could tell that they were filled with some sadness. An unbearable pain. And the way he stared at her without a blink, it did something to Mahnoor's heart. For the first time, Someone had stared at her with such an intensity that she could not even look back into them. She could not understand but there was something about that man that she could not help but wander back to him in her thoughts. "No, No! What am I even thinking?", she shook her head trying to get those unnecessary thoughts of her mind before they travel down to her heart. The rail of her thoughts were disturbed when her cellphone rang displaying her one of her friend's number on the screen. "Mahnoor, guess what, I got admission in my dream college in Mumbai.", the girl shouted so loud that Mahnoor had to distanced the device away from her ears. "That is a great news, Avika.", Mahnoor said with a small smile on her lips. She was happy to hear from her best friend after five long years. "Maha, you do not sound good to me. Is everything okay?", Avika asked, her voice filled with genuine worry for her childhood friend. "Don't tell me your step-mother or step-brother did something.", Avika asked and though Mahnoor wanted to say 'Yes', she answered otherwise. "No, nothing like that. It is just I am tired. The rush in the cafe is increasing each day and that makes me tired.", Mahnoor said, her voice low as she knew that every word she said was nothing but a huge lie. Talking randoms about their lives, they finally disconnected the call and Mahnoor fall back on the bed. A small sad smile making its was on her lips as she remembered something from a year back. Flashback. "Nooo, don't do that. I beg you.", She cried trying to snatch the letter out of her step-mother's hand but failed to do so. Sitting attached to the wall in the kitchen, tears rolled down as Mahnoor stared at the fire on the gas that slowly consumed the only way to her dreams. Offer letter to her dream college. She had studied day and night for her only dream of becoming a good architect. It was more of her mother's dream than hers. Her father had told her ones that her biological mother always wanted to be a architect, but lack of family and financial support alongwith an early age marriage, she could not fulfill her dream. But she wanted her daughter to become one for her. She wanted her daughter Mahnoor to fulfill her dream. But now everything was over. Her dreams were burnt down just like that piece of paper in the fire. And when her father asked her about the results, she simply denied saying she could not pass the exam. She knew lying to your parents is not a good thing but then she never wanted her father to have a fight with his second wife. She did not wanted him to stress about something that could not be reversed. And she let it go. Just like that. Flashback ends. A lone tear rolled down on side of her cheeks before disappearing into her pillow. The dried stains of tears on those pillows were the proof of how she cries to sleep herself every night. Walking out of the bathroom after changing into a silk night suit, Izhaar walked near the TV cabinet to take his laptop, when his eyes fall on the paper bag kept on the coffee table. Ignoring it, he took his tablet and walked back to the bed to complete his impending designs. However, not more than few minutes passed as Izhaar's mind and eyes both darted back to the bag and he stood up before walking near the coffee table. Opening a small transparent white square box, he looked at the dessert into it. It was a simple creamy tiramisu topped with cocoa powder. He always hated sweets but this dish was making his mouth salivate with water. Taking the wooden spoon from the bag, he dipped it into the tempting sweet dish and took a huge bite of it. The bitter sweet flavour of dark and mild chocolate bursted into his mouth throwing him straight into the heavens of food pleasure. His eyes closed as the sweetness quickly melted into his mouth. Izhaar savored each bite, lost in thoughts as continued eating every bite one after the other. It wasn't until he glanced down at the empty container in his hands and the realization struck him that he had finished it entirely on his own, without even noticing. Sitting on the couch, he stared at the empty box of dessert in his hands, and his thoughts wandered to his encounter with her in the morning. He still could not figure out about why he did not catch her through her hairs and throw her into the trunk of his SUV and drive her to this mansion. The mansion which he had decided to be her prison as well. As soon as he saw into those blue eyes, his mind was too hazzy to think anything else. He could not take his gaze off those beautiful eyes and the smile on her face. Sudden intervention from the ringing on his device break through his land of thoughts and he frowned looking at Zaran displaying on the screen. "Yes, Zaran?", Izhaar asked, placing the phone on the table and turning the call on speaker. He stand near the french window, his hands tucked into his pant pockets. "Apart from that baker daughter of his', Ajay Garhwal also has a wife and a gambler son.", Zaran filled him with the information. Picking up the dessert container, Izhaar made his way back to the bed. Pulling open the last drawer of the side table, he took a small crystal box out of it. Carefully, he placed the empty dessert box into it, and his fingers brushed with few another things kept already in there. Izhaar picked up an earring from the box, his gaze locking onto it as a storm of emotions rose within him. His eyes filled with hate, revenge, and—- something else, something nameless, lurking just beneath the surface, refusing to be identified.